BOB ELLIOTT, QMI Agency

“I’m interested in managing the Blue Jays,” said Macha from Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon. “I’ve applied for the job, sent off my resume, it would be an honour to be considered for the job.

“I haven’t had an interview from one team (hiring a manager) this off season.”

Macha managed the Oakland A’s for four seasons (two first, two second-place finishes) and the Milwaukee Brewers for two years (two third-place finishes) for a combined 368-280 record (.540 wining percentage).

While Macha is a certainly a qualified name, lobby talk from other teams surrounding the search for the next Blue Jays manager and words from the Jays themselves were consistent as the annual general managers meetings came to a close Friday at the Hyatt Regency.

GM Alex Anthopoulos wants to hire “an experienced manager ... someone he knows ... some one he can work with.”

Anthopoulos has only worked with two managers, Cito Gaston and John Farrell in Toronto, and Frank Robinson with the Montreal Expos ... which leaves Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu, the former Seattle Mariners manager, in the driver’s seat.

And maybe in the manager’s office for next season?

The Jays say they will have a manager before the start of the winter meetings.

While the “someone he knows” signs lead directly to Wakamatsu, when the Jays interviewed staff members who were interesting in managing they only interviewed Brian Butterfield and coach Luis Rivera.

And twice the Jays called Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach to interview him via phone.

Wakamatsu was not interviewed.

So, not a good sign.

Wakamatsu guided the Seattle Mariners to an 85-win season in 2009 and was fired 112 games into the next season with a 42-70 record.

The Macha name is one we should have thought of earlier. If you go by the best record of people looking to manage, not employed elsewhere, the next best three win percentages belong to Jerry Manuel (.507), Mike Hargrove (.503) and Art Howe (.498).

Six seasons may be a small managerial sample size, but Macha’s .540 win percentage is within 10 points of Los Angeles Angels Mike Scioscia (.548), Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson (.545) and Dick Howser (.544).

Macha also managed four seasons in the Boston Red Sox system, leaving when then GM Dan Duquette said he would not hire a skipper without big league experience. Macha became bench coach under Howe in Oakland for four years.

“I’ll stack up those eight years against anyone,” said Macha, part of A’s which made post-season play five of eight seasons.

Macha was interviewed for the Jays job at the end of the 2000 season when GM Gord Ash hired rookie manager Buck Martinez.

“We need to follow up,” said Anthopoulos on the managerial hiring process, ignored during the GMs meetings. “We need to get more in-depth, call it second round, the final round, home-stretch or whatever.”

On the morning line, Wakamatsu is still the chalk horse.

CALLING

The Jays called to inquire about the market price for former Jays right-hander, free agent Shaun Marcum, who went 20-11 with a 3.60 ERA in 44 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers in two seasons after being dealt for Brett Lawrie.

STRICT POLICY

The Jays said goodbye to free-agent Jim Clancy, who received a four-year offer from the Houston Astros in 1988 and bye-bye to Jimmy Key, given a four-year deal by the New York Yankees after the 1992 season.

At the time their policy was to not give a contract longer than three years.

Times change.

Policies change.

Right now, the Jays have their bar set at five-year deals tops.

Agents for free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez are looking for a six-year $90 million, according to reports.

“We could accommodate that annual average value ($15 million),” said Anthopoulos, speaking in general without mentioning Sanchez’s name. “We don’t do six-year or seven-year deals, we don’t have an appetite to do anything beyond five.

“We can take on salary, we’re open to talk about players that may not have been as good a fit in the past with a more room payroll wise.”

Anthopoulos said he could make an offer and if numbers climbed would let ownership know.

“We have (limits) we prefer, five years is definitely that number,” Anthopoulos.

For now.

SIGNING

Continuing their (cough) domination of the headlines at the GMs meetings, the Jays signed righty Justin Germano to a minor league deal Friday, which includes an invite to Dunedin.

Germano, 30, was with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations, making 12 starts and one relief outing with the Cubs going 2-10, with a 6.75 ERA. He was 9-4 with a 2.40 ERA at Triple-A Pawtucket.

In parts of seven seasons in the majors he was 10-30 with a 5.27 ERA in 48 starts (93 games).

FAMILY TREE

Abe Fernandez, son of Blue Jays great Tony Fernandez is attending scout school run by Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau in the Dominican Republic. Tony Fernandez now works for the Texas Rangers.

TRADES THE FOCUS

Before Alex Anthopoulos left the GMs meetings he was asked how much groundwork had been laid to make something happen at for next month’s winter meetings.

“We’re probably closer to making a trade than a free-agent sign,” Anthopoulos told reporters. “You may have 10 opportunities but really eight are longshots. We’ll focus on the two we have a chance to do.”

J.P. Ricciardi left this very same Hyatt Regency in 2005 and a month later had signed A.J. Burnett to a five-year deal.

The GM said he’s prepared to open the season with Colby Rasmus in centre. Rasmus hit .176 with six homers, 22 RBIs and a .515 OPS in the second half after batting .282 with 17 homers, 53 RBIs and an .821 OPS in the first half.

“The upside is so big with Colby,” he said. “He did a lot of great things, made great defensive plays. He’s streaky, that’s part of being a young player. Is there room for improvement? That goes without saying.”

Anthopoulos also said he would “absolutely” deal any of his young position players to obtain starting pitching.